Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln led a walk-out Thursday morning, part of a nationwide “Day of Action†to pressure university administrators to protect reproductive and transgender rights on campus.
The on-campus demonstrations were planned as states, including Nebraska, will likely consider legislation banning abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year overturned the federal protections for abortion provided in Roe v. Wade.
While the national events were organized by the Graduate Student Action Network and the Young Democratic Socialists of America, according to Inside Higher Education, UnionizeUNL hosted the local rally, which took place on the steps of the Nebraska Union.
There, organizers said colleges and universities that depend on graduate students to teach and conduct research should enact policies protecting the right of women to seek an abortion, as well as other issues they said fall under the umbrella of “bodily autonomy.â€
That includes things like access to birth control, ending sexual violence, stopping gender policing and transphobia, as well as ensuring UNL’s employees have adequate health insurance and do not live in food insecurity.
Katelynn Shadoan, a graduate student from Alabama working on a master’s degree in sociology at UNL, said students are no longer able to walk in to a food pantry for college students.
Instead they are required to fill out an online order and wait one week before getting food — an issue that potentially affects thousands of undergraduate students at UNL.
“If we’re overworked and hungry, we’re not going to teach as well,†Shadoan said.
Shadoan also told a crowd of roughly 100 people outside the Nebraska Union that graduate students were unable to see a doctor and get needed medication while they waited a month for their health insurance to kick in.
“We just wanted to let people know that no one had the right to tell us what to do with our bodies,†Shadoan said, “but also clarify that bodily autonomy is not just about abortion. It’s about the right to health care, the right to food.â€
Members of UnionizeUNL handed out flyers with information about accessing abortion care or free food services, as well as literature outlining an individual's rights if they are arrested by law enforcement.
Thursday’s event drew a protest from a half dozen students, including members of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization with ties to former President Donald Trump, who held up their own signs indicating their opposition to abortion.
The two sides engaged in discussions on the steps of the Nebraska Union, as music played and students wrote messages in chalk on the sidewalk.
Shadoan said Thursday’s event gave UnionizeUNL an opportunity to reach more students — both graduate and undergraduate — at UNL. The organization right now counts about 300 members, but not all are active.
“We really want to make sure we’re reaching everybody and hearing their voices and concerns so we can advocate for them,†Shadoan said.